Trump promotes tariffs in Rome as Georgia leaders question affordability

As President Donald Trump pointed to tariffs and manufacturing gains during a visit to Rome, Georgia, critics said many residents are still struggling with everyday expenses.

Trump spoke Feb. 19 at the Coosa Steel Plant, describing the facility’s turnaround as proof that trade policies are strengthening domestic industry. He said growth in construction and manufacturing shows his economic approach is working and helping stabilize prices.

But some state leaders argue that households continue to feel squeezed by rising bills.

Terry Holt, senior communications adviser for the advocacy organization the Cost Coalition, said the strain cuts across political lines.

“Whether you’re a Republican like me or a Democrat, you’re feeling the negative effects of the Trump policies every day,” Holt said, pointing to higher costs in health care, groceries, small businesses and even food banks.

Holt said tariffs function like added costs on imported products, which companies often pass along to customers. He argued that middle-income families are bearing much of that burden.

Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said rural areas are particularly vulnerable as health services and economic supports decline. She cited reductions in farm assistance, federal funding losses for mobile health clinics and rural hospitals closing or reducing services.

“For so many of our rural communities, when much of the state catches a cold, our rural communities catch pneumonia,” Bottoms said, adding that many of those communities were already facing longstanding challenges.

Trump’s visit coincides with early voting in the special election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, formerly represented by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. The election is scheduled for March 10.